Differences in Experiences of Discrimination in Accessing Social Services Among Transgender/Gender Nonconforming Individuals by (Dis)Ability

Transgender and gender nonconforming (GNC) individuals frequently experience discrimination and potentially a lack of respect from service providers, suggesting they have decreased access to professionals with cultural competency. Similarly, people with disabilities experience higher levels of discrimination in social services than their nondisabled counterparts. From an intersectional perspective, this study examines rates of discrimination in accessing social services faced by transgender and GNC people, comparing across ability. Data indicate that although transgender and GNC individuals of all abilities experience gender-based discrimination when accessing social services, those with disabilities experience higher levels of antitransgender discrimination in mental health centers, rape crisis centers, and domestic violence shelters.     

Queer Is the New Black? Not So Much: Racial Disparities in Anti-LGBTQ Discrimination

The present study examines the intersection of race and sexual orientation in the experience of discrimination among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people. The results of the study suggest that while a majority of LGBTQ individuals report being victims of anti-LGBTQ discrimination, racial minorities experience even greater levels of anti-LGBTQ discrimination than do White LGBTQ people. The findings suggest that the intersection of race and sexual orientation creates elevated levels of discrimination risk beyond the already elevated rates of discrimination experienced by members of the LGBTQ community for LGBTQ racial minorities.     

Conforming for survival: Associations between transgender visual conformity/passing and homelessness experiences

Transgender/gender-nonconforming (GNC) individuals face widespread discrimination and harassment, and are frequently victims of transphobic acts of violence. Furthermore, transgender/GNC individuals are twice as likely to experience homelessness as other members of the at-large population. This study uses a national survey (N = 6,456) to examine, specifically among transgender/GNC individuals, relationships between homelessness experiences and visual conformity/passing, and how this population's shelter-based experiences may differ based on the level to which an individual visually conforms. Results suggest that lower visual conformity/passing is positively associated with homelessness as well as negative experiences incurred while accessing shelters. Social service implications are subsequently discussed.     

“Multiplicity,Race, and Resilience: Transgender and Non-Binary People Building Community”

Scholars theorize that the development of community is an important part of resilience. In this mixed-methods study, we argue that race informs the experiences that transgender and non-binary (TNB) people have in seeking community. Using the Strengthening Colors of Pride Phase I and Phase II research, we argue that in a Latino-majority city, Latinx and Anglo TNB people connected with the transgender and broader lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) community, although Anglo TNB people reported more transphobia in the LGBTQ+ community. Black and American Indian TNB people connected with LGBTQ+ communities of color specifically and struggled more to find in-person community. Anglo TNB people used their own White racial networks to connect with supportive hobby and interest groups. In general, TNB people connected more with communities that resonated with the multiplicities of their own lives, such as commonalities of economic precarity and immigration status. This research is an important contribution to understanding the development of community for resilience, and the way race and gender identity inform community experiences for TNB people.     

The Role of Perceived Racial Discrimination in the Marriage Gap Between Black and White People

Abstract

Many explanations offered for the gap in marriage rates between Black and White people are economic and cultural. Less often considered are how racial social psychological factors influence marriage rates. In this study, we use critical race theory and the life course perspective to investigate how perceived racial discrimination impacts the likelihood of marriage for Black and White people. Data for the study are taken from the Portraits of American Life Study (N?=?678). The results of logistic regression analyses show that among people who report perceived racial discrimination, White people generally have a higher probability of being married compared to Black people. Analyses by age demonstrate that among younger adults, Black people who perceive racial discrimination are equally likely to be married as White people and have a higher probability of being married than Black people who do not report perceptions of racial discrimination. A negative influence on the odds of marriage related to perceived racial discrimination for Black people becomes clearer as respondents age. The findings highlight the importance of considering perceptions of racial discrimination to better understand the marriage gap between Black and White people across the life course.     

An exploratory study examining needs,access, and competent social services for the transgender community in Phoenix,Arizona

ABSTRACT

Phoenix is the sixth largest city in the United States, with a vibrant yet underserved lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) population. Despite an extensive community presence, social service delivery bias persists among members of the LGBTQ community, but more often among transgender individuals. Existing research has examined social services from the perspective of either the client or the practitioner. This exploratory study specifically examines social services in the Phoenix metropolitan area for the transgender community. Data collected from interviews with participants and providers contributed to an assessment of the current level of social services for the transgender community, with a specific emphasis on identifying service gaps and recommendations for culturally competent and comprehensive services.     

The Social Costs of Gender Nonconformity for Transgender Adults: Implications for Discrimination and Health

Research suggests that transgender people face high levels of discrimination in society, which may contribute to their disproportionate risk for poor health. However, little is known about whether gender nonconformity, as a visible marker of one's stigmatized status as a transgender individual, heightens trans people's experiences with discrimination and, in turn, their health. Using data from the largest survey of transgender adults in the United States, the National Transgender Discrimination Survey (N = 4,115), we examine the associations among gender nonconformity, transphobic discrimination, and health‐harming behaviors (i.e., attempted suicide, drug/alcohol abuse, and smoking). The results suggest that gender nonconforming trans people face more discrimination and, in turn, are more likely to engage in health‐harming behaviors than trans people who are gender conforming. Our findings highlight the important role of gender nonconformity in the social experiences and well‐being of transgender people.     

Resisting Fragmentation,Living Whole

SUMMARY

This paper presents interviews with four male-to-female transgender students of color under the age of 21 at an alternative school in the Northeast. The interviews expose the need to advocate for education that acknowledges and addresses the ways that race, sexuality, class, ethnicity, and gender together inform life experience and identity, especially within the context of educational institutions. These interviews point to the need to include an activist-oriented curriculum in schools, a curriculum relevant to the lives of gay, lesbian, and transgender students of color.     

Examining Associations Between Discrimination,Social Cohesion,and Health among White LGBT versus POC LGBT Chicagoans

Consistent with the minority stress perspective, lesbian/gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals on average report worse health than heterosexual individuals in several domains, for example, general health, mental health, physical health, and healthcare access. Intersectionality-based research shows that LGBT people of color (POC) are, on average, at even greater risk for adverse health outcomes. Discrimination and social cohesion may be two mechanisms underlying these between- and within-group disparities, given that both constructs are frequently reported within marginalized populations, and that both broadly relate to health. This study used data from the Chicago Department of Public Health to examine broad health differences between White LGBT and LGBT POC, and to test specific models in which social cohesion mediated links between discrimination and health. LGBT POC reported experiencing worse general health, lower access to health care, more experiences of discrimination, and lower feelings of social cohesion than did White LGBT individuals. No mediation effects emerged; however, there was a direct effect of experiencing discrimination on mental health distress. Discrimination exposure inversely related to the feelings of social cohesion.     

Intersectional Identities and Conceptions of the Self: The Experience of Transgender People

Transgender people in the United States change genders in relation to androcentric, heterocentric, and middle‐class whitenormative cultural narratives. Drawing on ethnographic data primarily with transgender people of color, I analyze the ways in which gender, race, social class, and sexuality all combine to create specific background identities – intersected identity frames – which others attribute in interaction. We can better understand these intersected identity frames through the experiences of transgender people, who actively engage in identity management. The meanings others attach to specific combinations are foregrounded in the context of transitioning; some audiences employ dominant, white cultural narratives, while others draw upon ethnic cultural narratives. In all cases, transitioning throws the multi‐dimensionality of intersected identity frames into sharp relief against the background of intersecting social and cultural structural arrangements.     

Ethnic‐Controlled Economy or Segregation? Exploring Inequality in Latina/o Co‐Ethnic Jobsites1

Recent research has increasingly focused on how ethnicity operates within labor markets. Due to perceptions of intragroup homogeneity and assumptions that inequality only occurs between majority whites and people of color, most research has neglected intragroup economic inequality. This study examines how skin color, immigration/nativity status, and gender influence wage differentials in Latina/o co‐ethnic jobsites (where workers are the same ethnicity). Using data from the Los Angeles Study of Urban Inequality (LASUI), it is found that there are skin color, immigration/nativity status, and sex wage gaps among Latina/os working in co‐ethnic jobsites. Moreover, illustrating intersectionality, immigrant women and dark‐skinned immigrants suffer from wage gaps in co‐ethnic jobsites. Unexpectedly, some Latinas experience a wage advantage, in comparison with Latinos, which is associated with lighter skin. The author suggests that Latinas are subjected to multiple‐jeopardy situations in which they experience an intersection of inequalities in jobsites saturated by co‐ethnics but that lightness of skin color functions as a form of social capital. Thus, research on the benefits or costs associated with working with co‐ethnics cannot be extended to the entire ethnic group. The conclusion is that for Central Americans and Mexicans, co‐ethnic jobsites are generally forms of segregated employment with limited protection from discrimination.     

Heterosexism,racism, and mental illness discrimination: Experiences of people with mental health conditions and their families

Experiencing discrimination related to race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, or having a mental health condition is associated with negative outcomes. Research comparing types of discrimination or considering intersectionalities is lacking. This study reports findings from interviews with people with mental illnesses (PWMI) or family members of PWMI; all study participants also are of color and/or lesbian, gay, or bisexual. Findings include the following: participants experienced multiple forms of discrimination, mental illness discrimination shares characteristics with racism and heterosexism, and heterosexuals and people of color reported more mental illness discrimination than their counterparts. Implications for change advocates, mental health providers, and researchers are offered.     

Cross-cultural Child Development for Social Workers: An Introduction

Abstract

The transgender community represents a highly marginalised portion of the Australian population, frequently experiencing discrimination, social isolation, and harm. This review explores literature informing Australian social work with transgender people. It highlights the importance of generating a transgender-positive discourse within Australian social work to effectively engage with and advocate for individuals with nontraditional gender identities. Key themes emerged from reviewing the literature related to the medical model, the mental health of transgender people, interdisciplinary and alternative transgender literature, minority status of transgender people, existing social work approaches to transgenderism, and Indigenous transgender literature. The views of transgender Australians are largely absent from the literature. However, the Australian transgender community's emerging voice and political activism highlights the potential for collaboration to play a significant role in the process of building a working knowledge base for social work. Based on the identified gaps in literature, in this paper we call for continued progress in developing a theoretical and practical knowledge base that incorporates the lived experiences of transgender Australians. We argue for the development of an approach to practice that is responsive to gender diversity. Highlighted in the review are the conditions that promote greater engagement with the transgender community.     

Not All Alike

Abstract

Most published research regarding same-sex relationship abuse experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people notes a need for services. However, the LGBT community is quite heterogeneous, and useful support may vary based on demographic characteristics. This research examined within group differences regarding type of support sought and its usefulness. Eighty nine percent (n = 677) of a diverse sample of LGBT people (N = 760) experienced abuse in a same-sex relationship. Of those who experienced some type of emotional, physical, and /or sexual abuse, differences in help sought and its usefulness were found based on age, income, gender, sexual orientation, and ethnicity.     

Perceptions of transition-related health and mental health services among transgender adults

The opportunity to live authentically is critical for the well-being of transgender individuals. For many this requires accessing transition-related services. Current knowledge of transition-related care is limited. This study aims to elucidate experiences and needs of transgender individuals (N = 65) related to (a) therapeutic support, (b) medical care, and (c) aspects of living authentically in order to inform the development and delivery of trans-affirmative services. Findings reveal challenges accessing health care providers with trans-specific competency; gaps between critical aspects of transition-related care and receipt of services; and heterogeneity of experiences and needs. Recommendations for improving transgender-affirmative services are provided.     

“No Place Like Home?”

Abstract

The concept of “home” is subject to individual interpretations; a “home” may be conceived of as a physical space, such as a building/house, a geographical space such as a street, a town or a community, or a place where meaningful social relationships and/or kinship are fostered. Consider, then, what would happen to our understandings of “home” if seen from the perspectives of young people that are “home-less” and estranged from their families and kin groups, sometimes due to their sexual orientation. This article presents results from a research project conducted together with Kentish homelessness charity Porchlight. The aim of the research is to formulate an understanding of the lived realities of homeless LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) youth (ages 16–25). Young people who identify as LGB or T are often victims of hate crime, bullying, harassment, violence, oppression, discrimination, and social exclusion in the home, in schools, and in the community at large. In many cases, these factors can contribute to alienation from the family home and subsequently result in homelessness. Here, I look specifically at how young people experience home and homelessness in relation to kin and social relationships, and drawing from anthropological literature on “the house”, “home”, kinship and “liminality”, I consider how these concepts can better inform our understanding of LGBT youth homelessness.     

Ethnoracial Gap in Clinical Practice with Latinos

People of color drop out of mental health treatment after the first session significantly more often than others. Social workers unfamiliar with the importance of race and ethnicity in the lives of Latinos can contribute to an ethnoracial gap in clinical practice. Implicit racial bias is presented as a key element contributing to the gap. The origin of phenotypes in Mexico and Puerto Rico prepared Latinos to cope with discrimination and colorism in United States. The influence of skin color on life chances, the acculturation–assimilation process, and psychological well-being are analyzed to identify problems in social adaptation and integration into American society. The critical incident interview is introduced to aid clinicians to assess key events in client’s experience with race and ethnicity. Examples of critical incidents are provided. The author offers training goals to reduce practitioners’ implicit racial bias and improve their estimates of phenotype. Five recommendation are made to improve practice with Latinos concerning psychosocial problems related to phenotype.     

(Un)doing Transmisogynist Stigma in Health Care Settings: Experiences of Ten Transgender Women of Color

Transgender women of color face numerous barriers to accessing quality health and human services due to intersecting systems of oppression. Using transmisogyny as a conceptual tool, the current study drew upon individual, in-depth interviews with ten transgender women of color living in New York City. Interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to explore the experiences of participants in care settings and compare their experiences in LGBT-specific settings to non-specific settings. Results from this study suggest specific health and human services practices and policies can improve the healthcare experiences of transgender women of color and advance health equity for all.     

The Lived Experiences of Transgender Persons: A Meta-Synthesis

This article synthesises findings from qualitative studies which have explored the lived experiences of transgender persons, using Noblit and Hare's (1998) meta-ethnography method. Thirty-one qualitative studies related to the lived experiences of transgender individuals, published between 1998 and 2013, met the inclusion criteria. A literature search was conducted between November 2012 and September 2013 using computerized searches from nine databases as well as online manual searches of key journals. Results from these individual studies revealed five major themes: (a) crossing gender and physical problems in life, (b) experiencing psychological distress, (c) encountering discrimination and social exclusion, (d) having relationships does matter, and (e) dealing with difficulties in life. Yet, despite these negative experiences, transgender people have tried to find ways to help them deal with their difficulties. We conclude that there is a need for health care providers, social workers, and health promoters to support transgender individuals, for their health and well-being. This meta-synthesis provides a clear account of what transgender individuals experience in their lives, to support the development of sympathetic health and social care services to assist them with their difficulties, and enhance their health and well-being.     

The dynamics of multicultural values of Banuroja community in building social integration a socio-cultural ethnographic study in Gorontalo

ABSTRACT

This research is prompted by the researchers’ concern with the problems of this nation that seem to have no end, as can be seen in the various social conflicts related to ethnicity, religion, and race, due to intolerance to the diversity of society. Therefore, it is important to build social integration in this multicultural society through the preservation of cultural values, as has been practiced by the community of Banuroja. This research aims to describe the dynamics of the multicultural values of Banuroja people in building social integration in their community. The research approach is qualitative by using ethnographic study method. The results illustrate that the dynamics of the multicultural values of Banuroja community can build social integration in society in terms of: 1) Emphasizing the identity of cultural diversity; 2) Accepting and understanding the cultural diversity; and 3) Applying the principles in a multicultural social life, e.g., sensitivity and equality.